Truss



A. OWEN.

(No Model.)

TRUSS.

Patented Mar. 12, 1889.

,X51 We?? w".

liar-ren Sterns errar Orricn,

AI'A GIVEN, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TRUSS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent Ifo. 399,433, dated March12, 1889.

Application filed September 4, 1888. Serial No. 284,526. (No model.)

fo all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALvA OWEN, a citizen ot' the United States, residingat Chicago, in the county of (look and State ot Illinois, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in lrusses, of which the following aspeciiication.

My invention relates particularly to improvements in the pads used intrusses to press aga-inst and hold the hernia in pla-ce.

lt is a well-known fact that in ordinary cases ot' hernia of the abdomenthe most eit'ective and comfortable pressure that can be brought againstthe viscera is that which the person himself is capable of exerting withhis thumb; and it is my object to provide a pad with a yieldin centralprojection so constructed as to ai'iord mechanically a pressure similarto that which may be exerted by the thumb, in the use of which thereshall be no danger at any time of the entrance of the projection intothe rupture to an extent which would cause irritation, and whereby,should the projection become displaced, the viscera may be caught andheld by the surrounding pad.

To this end my invention consists in the general construction ot myimproved trusspad; and it further consists in details of constructionand combinations of parts, as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view ot a truss provided witha pad of my improved cmlstruction; Fig. 2, a section ta-ken on the line2 2 ot` Fig. l, viewed in the direction of the arrows and enlarged,showing the retainers in their normal relative positions; and Fig. 3:5,a similar view, illustrating relative positions oi' the retainers whenthe truss is adjusted upon the person ot' the wearer.

Although my improved truss-pad may be applied with advantage to anydesired form ot' truss-as the elastic belt or spring-bow varieties-Iprefer to employ my improvements in connection with the former, asillustrated in the drawings, and I confine my description to such atruss, though without intending thereby to limit its application in atruss of any particular description.

A is an elastic belt carrying at one extremi tv a plate, B, providedwith studs f', and at its opposite extremity a plate, s, having an eve,s, to engage the stud An elastic band, A', is adj ustably secured towardone end upon the belt A, as shown, and carries at its oppo siteextremity a plate, r, similar to the plate s upon the belt A, and havingan eye, r', to engage the stud i.

(l is a trusspad, comprising a retainer, C, preferably of wood or hardrubber, having a concave side forming a cup, q, anda flat base, a', anda yielding retainer, "2. The retainer C may be either round, as shown inFig. l, cr oi` any other desired shape, and is prefere ably broadenedaround its edge, as shown, to present a wide rim, 71, for contact withthe body when applied, as hereinafter described.

The plate B is provided with a round opening, into which a metal disk,p, of equal thickness with the plate and having a perforation at itscenter and screwholes at opposite sides, lits and readily rotatabletherein. A disk, o, somewhat larger in circumference than the disk p, isprovided with vscrewlholes corresponding with those in the latter. There tainer 'i' is perforated through its center, and is also provided onits base :c with screw-holes to correspond with those in the disks pando.

To secure the truss-pad C in place upon the plate B, the flat base a* ofthe retainer C is placed against the inner side of the plate oppositethe studs t t', the disk p is inserted into the circular opening throughthe plate B, and the disk o is adjusted upon the outer side of thelatter, with its screw-holes and those of the disk p and retainer Ccoincident, when the parts are secured together by means of the screws11/ y. The disk o and base x of the retainer C being of greatercircumference than the openin g in the plate B, they are held iirmly inplace on opposite sides ot the latter, and the disk p, while it allowsthe pad to be turned, prevents any lateral movement thereof.

A sleeve, n, fits tightly and is rigidly held in the perforation throughthe center of the retainer C and disk p and. projects into the cup (j.The sleeve 72.- is provided with a longitudinal slot, n, on one side,extending from toward the end embraced by the disk p toward the endwhich extends into the cup q.

The yieldin retainer C2 comprises a plate,

IOO

m., having an outer surface, m', which is preferably convex, the plate9m being of substantially the shape of the mouth of the retainer E andarranged to enter the latter when compressed, as hereinafter described.At the outer side of the plate m is a rounded knob, Z, preferably ofhard rubber and slightly concave on its under side to lit the surface ofthe plate m. A rod, Zt', having a screw-threaded end, Z5', and shoulders7a2 Zeg, extends at its opposite end into the sleeve u, where it carriesa lug, 7a4, which enters the slot n. The rod Zt may be moved lon gitudinally within the sleeve to an extent limited in its outward play by theimpingemen t of the lug 7,;4 against the end of the slot n and in itsinward play by the impingement of the shoulder Zes against the end ofthe sleeve n. rlhe plate m is perforated at its center to fit over thethreaded end Zo of the rod 7c and rest against the shoulder 71:2. Theknob Z is provided at its center with a screw-threaded socket in itsunder side to receive the threaded end Zz of the rod, and the knob isscrewed upon the rod and clamps the plate m against the shoulder 7a2,whereby the parts are held rigidly together. A spiral spring, 1',surrounds the rod Zt' and protruding end of the sleeve fn, resting atone extremity in a socket, q', in the bottom of the retainer C', andbearing at its opposite extremity against the under side of the plate m.The spring holds the retainer C2 at the limit of outward play of theshaft Zt', as shown in Fig. 2, which is its normal position.

Vhen the pad C is adjusted upon the body, the retainer C surrounds the'affected part, while the yielding retainer C2 presses With its knobZinto the rupture and its plate fm,r against the surrounding parts.

The pressure which the yielding knob Zexerts against the hernia issimilar to that which the person himself is capable of exerting with histhumb, and is similarly effective and comfortable, while the surface mof the plate fm affords a stop which limits the distance of the entranceofthe knob, and the pressure of lthe surrounding retainer C exerts asecondary holding effect. Should the kn ob Zbecome displaced from itsoperative position by slipping in any direction, the annular concavityformed within the rim.7zy of the retainer C about the knob Z, while thelatter is pressed against the body with the stop m as the base, willoperate to catch the viscera andeprevent Ytheir furi,

ther protrusion.

Nliat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A truss-pad comprising, in combination, a hollow retainer, C', havingan expanded ri rn, 71 and a plate, B, upon which the retainer C issecured and movable, and a yielding retainer, C2, having a projection,Z, extending from near the center of the hollow retainer, and a stop,m', surrounding the base of the projection, whereby, in case ofdisplacement of the said projection, the viscera, wherever they shallprotrude, may enter the hollow retainer, substantially as described.

2. A truss-pad comprising, in combination, a concave retainer, C,provided with a sleeve, n, and a retainer, C2, comprising a plate, on,and projection Z, secured together upon a rod, Z3, confined toward oneend within the sleeve n and having` limited longitudinal play therein,and a spring, i, surrounding the rod Zt' and confined between theretainers C and C?, sulY stantially as described.

J. WV. DYRENFORTH, M. J. lowuns

